27 Best Travel Tips after 7 Years Traveling the World:
Usually Dave and I get the 7 year itch. We stick with something for about six years and then by year seven, we need a change or move on. But with ThePlanetD we found our purpose and at 7 years we feel it is only the beginning. We’ve learned a lot about life, love, and happiness and we can’t wait to see what the next 7 years of traveling hasIN STORE
.
.27 Best Travel Tips after 7 Years Traveling the World
Travel is life changing. It always has been for us. It gives you a chance to learn about yourself and your partner. It allows stillness and a quiet time to reflect on your life both future, past and present. In an age of Snapchat updates every 30 minutes and selfie sticks jutting out from crowds, travel is still an important way for humans to grow and evolve. It really does break down barriers and is theBEST EDUCATION. It is also a wonderful way for couples to bond and communicate.
. It is also a wonderful way for couples to bond and communicate.
These past 7 years have been the ride of our lives. We’ve had a lot of laughter and tears, ups and downs, and mishaps and triumphs. I don’t think anything has ever been so fulfilling or so challenging. We’ve been running ourOWN BUSINESS and making things up as we go. What we’ve cherished the most is that we’ve been able to do things together as a couple. We never thought it would be possible but it is and here are our best travel tips to help you live a fulfilled life too.
and making things up as we go. What we’ve cherished the most is that we’ve been able to do things together as a couple. We never thought it would be possible but it is and here are our best travel tips to help you live a fulfilled life too.
Read our Story: From Trailer Park to Travel Blog Success
Put Down the Cell Phone
Don’t stick your nose in your self phone, you never know what you’ll miss
Dave and I have travelled for a long time. Well before we started a travel blog. We remember the days when you couldn’t share a moment instantly with your online friends. Travel was about being in the moment and it was those times that we truly had the life changing experiences and appreciated a deep connection with the land we were visiting and within ourselves. Now we watch groups of people spend so much time capturing the perfect selfie at a monument or lookout, that they forget to see what is in front of them. People are spending more time looking at social media than taking in what is right before their eyes. A photo is wonderful, but it’s how you feel in the moment that you will remember forever. Take time to enjoy the moment, stop caring about posting immediately to SnapChat or Instagram and take in the beauty of the earth. It’s a marvelous world that is full of noise right now. Travel gives you the opportunity to block out the noise so put down your smartphone and be present instead.
Looking for more travel tips: Check out our travel tips Page for all things travel.
Don’t Go Into Debt
If you don’t have the cash to travel, don’t do it. Instead, enjoy getaways in your own backyard. When Dave and I were dreaming of traveling but we were stuck working, we explored a lot of our home province of Ontario. We packed up the bikes and camping gear and lived frugally while we explored bike trails, climbing walls, lakes and rivers. We barely spent any money and we learned to appreciate the beauty of what was right around the corner. Think about it. If you have just finished up an amazing life changing experience traveling the world, you will be filled with ideas, inspiration and excitement. If after that trip you have to go home to a pile of debt, that inspiration will immediately squashed due to the stress of debt. Instead of making plans for your future, you’ll be stuck in a rut of having to work to pay off that debt leaving you no freedom to try new hobbies or things. Save for your travels and then when you have enough money go. But not before.
Hire Local Guides
Our guides to Everest Base Camp
In today’s world of travel, a lot of people are taking on more than they can chew. To do an epic adventure you need skill and experience. Just because you saw a photograph on Instagram by someone, it doesn’t mean you are qualified to do so. Dave and I have taken on a lot of epic adventures in our lives, but we worked our way up with baby steps. And more importantly, we hired professionals to help us out when we needed it. We’ve trekked 100km in the dead of winter through the Canadian Arctic watershed, we’ve climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, gone white waterKAYAKING through class III rapids and paddled the highest tides in the world at the Bay of Fundy to name a few. We weren’t qualified to do any of these independently, but with expert guides, were learned new skills and accomplished these challenges safely. It doesn’t matter where you are in your adventure travel skill level, perhaps, hiking through a jungle path is your first great adventure, it never hurts to hire a guide to take you safely through. It’s a great way to learn about the area, support the local economy and make sure you are the safest you can be.
through class III rapids and paddled the highest tides in the world at the Bay of Fundy to name a few. We weren’t qualified to do any of these independently, but with expert guides, were learned new skills and accomplished these challenges safely. It doesn’t matter where you are in your adventure travel skill level, perhaps, hiking through a jungle path is your first great adventure, it never hurts to hire a guide to take you safely through. It’s a great way to learn about the area, support the local economy and make sure you are the safest you can be.
Read about some of our best experiences at Here’s to the JourneyMakers
Compromise
As a travel couple, this is our number one piece of advice to travel together. You have to be willing to give and take. It can’t be one person dictating where you are going and what you are doing. Maybe you hate museums and your spouse hates sporting events. You don’t want to spend your time on separate vacations so give a little. Maybe you could go to a sporting museum like the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. You both get the best of both worlds. Or, let’s face it, you love each other. Would it be so bad to suck it up for a few hours to go to a football game with the one you love but then the pay off is that you both go to the Museum of Modern Art the next day? Dave and I like spending time together but we don’t necessarily like the same things. But I’d rather go to something that I’m not completely into with Dave than spend my vacation alone. Don’t be one of those couples that constantly take separate vacations or go their separate ways when they travel. We’ve seen those couples throughout our lives, and most of them are not together anymore. If you give and take and do things with each other with the odd day or afternoon to go your separate ways, you’ll have an amazing time. Besides, you may find out you like it!
Check out our couples travel tips: How to Survive Traveling as a Couple
Invest in Travel Insurance
Dave takes advantage of medical insurance
A lot of people say to us, I only need travel insurance if I am going to somewhere remote. But trust me, you need travel insurance everywhere you go! My brother went to Florida and broke his arm. If he didn’t have insurance, he’d have been stuck with a hefty hospital bill. Accidents can happen anywhere. Dave and I were on a luxury cruise a two years ago and he slipped on a set of stairs and broke his back. If we didn’t have insurance, we would have been stuck paying nearly $100,ooo dollars for the air ambulance that had to fly Dave home flat on his back, the float plane that flew him from the Amazon to the local hospital, the 8 days in the hospital where he underwent CAT Scans, X-Rays, and MRIs and medical expenses like prescriptions and doctors fees. Having travel insurance gave us piece of mind. Plus, it covered a private hospital room, food, hotel and medication.
Read about our Experience at: Airlifted from the Amazon, Our Worst Travel Fears Realized
Pack Light
Dave and I can be the most irritable when we pack too much. The hotel room becomes a disaster, we can’t find anything, and when we are stuck lugging heavy suitcases through train stations and bus stations, it’s unbearable. We aren’t the lightest packers out there, but we pack very light for how much we travel. We carry just the essential clothing. I won’t go into detail on how to pack light as we have many of our best travel tips on how to pack light on this website you can check out, but I will say, take at least half of what you think you need. Trust me, as someone who has packed heavy on more than one occasion, packing light makes travel much easier.
Find more information at our packing travel tips page
Have an Open Mind
Many people have preconceived notions about a place before they go. Throw all your thoughts out the window and enter a new destination with an open mind. Most likely a lot of what you’ve heard about it is false. So often we’ve visited places where people at home are afraid of crime or safety and more often than not, we have felt perfectly safe. Also, many people think that a different culture is going to be difficult to understand or they won’t like traveling in a place that is different from their homeland. But that is the beauty of travel, we have found that people are similar all around the world. Regardless of race, religion, culture or creed, people are similar. They laugh, they cry, they care about their families and they are good. I know it’s difficult to believe in this world that is filled with so much uncertainty right now, but most people are good and will look out for you or help you when you need it. You’ll find that you have more in common with people around the world than you thought.
Bring Portable Chargers
I can’t tell you how many times in the past, we’ve been in the middle of a great day and our batteries go dead. There is no excuse anymore. You can charge your phone, GoPro, and camera even while out on safari. There are great portable chargers that you can carry into the desert, into the jungle, camping or anywhere. We carry two portable chargers that have four complete charges in them and we can charge two things at once. that will charge your phones and cameras. Most of our Sony products charge by USB and our portable charger has 4 USB charges in it. Now we never miss a shot!
Don’t be cheap. Get a good one. We’ve been given cheap ones as gifts and they don’t charge all the way and soon give out. This RAVPower 23000mAH power charger is a good choice.
Give Back
Visiting a project in Malawi
One of the best things you can do when traveling is give back to the community you are visiting. Be it through volunteering, raising money, or visiting a project. You can make a difference. It can be as simple as staying at a local family run guest house, hiring a private local guide, and shopping locally. You don’t have to stay at the huge corporate hotel chain owned by foreigners. With travel, you have the chance to have a direct impact on the local economy.
Read more on How to Make Your Travels Meaningful
Travel Responsibly
Some tours or excursions seem like a good idea at the time and then when out there you realize that the excursion you took has a negative impact on the environment, the wildlife or the culture. It’s important to ask questions, and be an informed traveller. Is the tour company you are traveling with responsible? When on a wildlife safari, is your guide harassing the animals, chasing the animals or interacting with the animals? You are there to observe. If wildlife doesn’t want to be around, don’t chase it. If your guide does do something you don’t like, tell him so. They often think they need to pick up the turtle or chase the dolphins to make the tourists happy or get a tip. Speak up and say no.
Those elephant rides you are taking may have started by abusing the elephant. Don’t ride them, instead, go to a sanctuary. Don’t support zoos, support conservation and sanctuaries. The same goes for indigenous culture. Is a culture being exploited by tourists snapping photographs like it is a human zoo? Are they stuck putting on a show rather than inviting you into their community? Don’t take a tour that simply drives through a neighbourhood and keeps you behind the glass as you gawk at the people on the street, hire a local guide who will walk you through their home and let you meet and talk to the people.
Splurge Every Once in a While
Splurge…it’s worth it
Even if you are on the tightest of budgets, it’s important to splurge on the finer things in life. One of the best travel tips we can give you is to not squeeze the budget so tight, you can’t enjoy anything. We’ve arrived at a city and booked a luxury hotel so that we could enjoy it in style. It gives you a break from the rigours of the road and gives you memories that you will talk about for years to come. I’ll never forget splurging on a hotel in Kuala Lumpur when we were traveling as poor backpackers. Those two days by the pool rejuvenated our excitement for travel and helped up the romance factor of our relationship. Travel can sometimes take its toll on a relationship, you have to make time for luxury and romance. It’s great to see the world and do adventures, but you have to do a little pampering every once in a while as well.
Want to change your life? Read our tips on How to Live an Unconventional Life
Do an Idiot Check
Dave and I used this term with each other a lot in when traveling. In the film industry, we used to do a final sweep of a set at the end of the day and called it an “idiot check.” Even if we thought we had everything packed up, we usually found something left behind. Before leaving a hotel, we always do a final sweep. I always make the bed because inevitably things get lost in the covers. I check outlets, under chairs, and behind doors. We rarely lose things when we travel but when we do, it’s only when we are in too much of a hurry and didn’t do that final sweep of the hotel room before leaving.
Going traveling? Enjoy our travel tips for Europe
Step our of your Comfort Zone
Face your fears whatever they may be
Even today Dave and I take on adventures that make us a bit nervous or that we don’t immediately want to do. But every single time we try something new, no matter how much we didn’t want to do it in the first place, we were so happy we did! I don’t know why we are always surprised after each adventure that we loved it, but like clockwork we always say, “You know, I didn’t really want to do that, but after doing it, I loved it!” Travel and vacations are your time to do something spontaneous that you’d never dream of doing at home. It’s travel that can inspire you to take on new hobbies or adventures once you get home. So go for it!
Need Help? Read our 6 Tips to Help you Face Your Fears
Don’t Compete with Other Travellers
You know who they are. The travel snobs who have to brag about where they’ve been, what they’ve done, and who they did it with. Who cares? Travel is for you. Whether you’ve been to one country or 100 countries, it is your personal experience. To those who try to one up your experiences, forget about them. We have our amount of countries in our bio, but that is because it is our job. We’ve also been traveling a lot since 2000. It took us 16 years to get to the number of countries we’ve visited and most of those came after we started traveling professionally because we now go to places for contracts and assignments. But our best travel experiences have been when we’ve stayed in a place for weeks at a time, made life-long friends and took our time to really immerse in the local community. Those are the moments you’ll never forget, not a checkmark on a long list of things done simply for the sake of checking them off.
We Once Ranted about this at Arrogant Travel Snobs
A Smile Goes a Long Way
Our best travel tip…smile!
This doesn’t just ring true for travel tips, a smile is a wonderful thing for life in general. It breaks the ice when you first meet people and in tough situations it breaks the tension. Even when negotiating, we smile. We find we can get a better deal if we smile. We find that locals will approach us more if we smile. We get better service if we smile. We make new friends when we smile… You get the point…smile!
Enjoy this lovely guest post about how a Smile Helped James Jones Step out of His Comfort Zone
You Don’t have to Be Fluent in a Language
I am awful at languages. I try hard and I wish I had a gift for linguistics, but I don’t. However, that has never stopped us from traveling. We learn the basics and get by with sign language and body language. Heck, in today’s world with Google Translate and countless apps, you can get by with ease. Don’t let the fact that you don’t speak the language stop you from going to another country. One of my favourite memories was during the Mongol Rally when we couldn’t read the Cyrillic menus through Russia and Kazakhstan. We played Russian Roulette with our menu and let them bring whatever our pointer finger landed on. (funny how it always seemed like Borscht) During that trip through 15 different countries where very few people spoke English, we commented on how far five local words, a smile and a thumbs up could get us.
A Fight Doesn’t Mean the End of Your Relationship (or friendship)
Sometimes you gotta let off some steam
Traveling with the one you love can be a very intense experience. You are stuck with each other 24 hours a day. Emotions run high and you are definitely not in your usual comfortable environment. This situation causes stress on a couple. You have to learn to be able to fight and get over it. Dave and I have had some doozy arguments. I’m talking yelling matches with each other. But I don’t think I can name what one was about. And after they are done, we forget about them and let it go. We never dwell on the little things. We understand that sometimes you just have to let off a little steam. Triggers can be as simple as being hungry or suffering from jet lag. Some of our biggest tiffs happen while trying to find a place to eat. As we both become more ravished with hunger, we become more irritable. We then feel the pressure of finding just the right restaurant and the next thing you know, we’re fighting and end up eating at McDonalds or Wendy’s and are doubly pissed off at each other because now the meal is ruined. But we get over it, and move on. No relationship is perfect and you are bound to have a few arguments while traveling. Don’t be too proud to apologize and don’t hold a grudge.
Check out our best travel tips for traveling as a couple
Protect Yourself from the Elements
I’m not saying you have to slather yourself in sunscreen all day every day. But, I do cover up and wear long sleeve lightweight clothing, hats and flesh tone zinc on my nose and cheeks when on an adventure like kayaking. Nothing is going to wreck your vacation more than a sunburn or getting sick. When snorkelling, I wear long sleeved surf shirts. When hiking through the jungle, we wear long sleeves and pants to protect from mosquitoes. We wear hats to protect from the sun and sunglasses to protect our eyes. Prevention is key. There are many diseases carried by mosquitos from Malaria to Zika, wear light coloured insect repellent clothing that is breathable so you can wear long sleeves and pants to help reduce the risk. I find covering up way better than using mosquito repellant. And of course, drink plenty of water.
Sunrise is Better than Sunset (Most of the Time)
Getting out early for sunrise is a chore, I know. But most of our best photographs and beautiful sky moments have happened at sunrise. For one thing, there are less crowds. Often when you go to an iconic view or landmark at sunset it is over run with tourists. When you get up at the crack of dawn, you normally have the place to yourself. We’ll put up a photograph on Instagram, state that it was taken at sunrise and still people will remark, “Oh, I just love this sunset!” Sunrise is also quiet time. We love walking on the beach or through city streets when nobody else is around. It’s hard when the alarm goes off to get out of bed, but it’s so worth it to start your day off early, beat the crowds and set the tone for a wonderful day ahead.
Enjoy perusing our Travel Photography Tips page
If it Feels Wrong, It Probably Is
Why do so many people leave their brains behind when they go on vacation? I’m not saying travel doesn’t have risks, but if you travel the way you live your life at home, you will have a better chance of staying safe. Don’t party until the wee hours of the morning and go home alone. Don’t walk down dark deserted alleyways and don’t get into cars with strangers. We have visited many local families and been invited to dinner or tea at many houses. We’ve always had a wonderful experience, but we do listen to our guts. We’ve turned down invitations too. The ones that feel shady probably are. If we have second thoughts, we listen to that feeling. We are also lucky because there are two of us. There is usually less of a target on a couple. But if you are going solo, let people know where you are going and what you are doing. And listen to that 6th sense.
Read Safety and Travel Tips at: Travel Safer with these Personal Safety Products
Don’t be Afraid to Talk to People
Meeting Friendly Local in Romania turns to a great adventure
We have had some of our best conversations on busses, in restaurants, or on a train. Don’t keep your nose in your book or in your phone looking at silly SnapChats. Look around, start a conversation and make new friends. When on a safari or a hike, get to know your fellow travellers and engage in conversation with your guide. You’ll not only make new friends, you’ll probably learn a lot. We’ve gotten some of the best tips from talking to our fellow travellers and the locals. You can’t read about most of the great stuff to do in a guide book or on a travel blog. You’ll get the best travel tips from the people you meet. So one of our best travel tips we can share with you is don’t be afraid to talk to people.
Be Flexible
And on that note, be open to changing plans. It’s good to plan your route and your trip. It’s good to plan what you want to do and where you want to stay but you also need to be open to changing plans. We changed plans and booked a flight to Borneo after meeting some travellers who said they were going toclimb Mount Kinabalu. We were planning on going on to Bali, but we decided to put that off and follow them. Borneo was one of our favourite destinations ever. We spent a month trekking through jungles, climbing mountains, and searching for wildlife. If we decided to stick to our plans, we never would have had those amazing moments that we have never forgotten.
Check out Great Things to do in Malaysian Borneo
Pack a Sarong
A plain sarong on my head worked great in the Sudan
I have used a sarong as a headscarf in muslim countries and used it to cover up when entering a temple. I’ve used it as a beach blanket, a towel when snorkelling and as sunshade on a boat ride. My sarong has kept me warm on cold flights or train rides and I’ve even dressed up an outfit for dinner by wrapping a decorative sarong around my waste. It is the most versatile piece of travel clothing I’ve got. Dave uses his all the time as well. They make for great bed sheets in a hot destination. I find they are less sticky than actually sheets and feel great draped over my body when sleeping. If you don’t have one, buy one from a local market when you arrive and get an extra large!
Check out the Many Uses of the Simple Sarong
Back up your Photos
We’ve seen more than one person lose all their photos on a trip by never downloading. In New Zealand a fellow traveller was moved to tears when she lost her memory card from her travels through Africa and then New Zealand that she had stored on the same card for weeks. One mistake, and they were all erased. There are many ways to back up photos now. You can carry a portable hard drive, upload them to online storage or put them on your computer or store them on Smugmug. Don’t take a chance with your memories.
Tell your Partner/Husband/Friend How Much You Appreciate them
Travel can be all consuming. You’ll find that you are busy taking on exciting adventures, seeing incredible sights and trying scrumptious foods. It’s easy to forget about the person you are traveling with and become self absorbed. Be it your spouse or friend, it’s important to let them know how much they mean to you. You chose to travel with them because you love them and enjoy their company. Never take that for granted and let them know how much you appreciate their support, the noodle soup they brought you when you were sick, and the inspiration they gave you to try something new. Don’t let travel be only about you.
Buy Things and Send them Home
We know a lot of people who say they don’t buy anything from anywhere when they travel because they don’t have the space. We say, buy it and send it home. We love having talking pieces at home that we have gathered over the years. While we don’t have a home now, we’ve decorated my parents place with a lot of our travel souvenirs. These mementos are something you’ll cherish forever. And once again, it goes back to supporting the local economy. It feels good to know that you are supporting a local artist or shop. We always buy from the local market and have a story for nearly every item we’ve bought. Plus, when you get home you’ll see the same thing in a shop and realize it costs a fortune. You can make your home look like a museum for cheap from buying local art and crafts during your travels. Don’t let lack of space keep you from buying, just send it home via snail mail. It still exists.
Relax
Hey, it’s not brain surgery or rocket science. If things don’t go as planned, who cares? You’re on vacation! I’ve seen way too many people complain about tours, argue at checkin, and grumble over meals for absolutely no reason. Instead, be in the moment and take it all in. Travel is a privilege and often times the people you are complaining to or shouting at have very little. They are catering to you with a smile on their face wondering why on earth you are so upset about something so small. Many people feel that travel gives them the right to leave their manners at home. Be nice, keep smiling and don’t sweat the small stuff. There’s a lot more in this world to worry about. This is your time to enjoy!
And that ladies and gentlemen, is a list of our best travel tips all the things we learned from 7 years of traveling the world. I could go on and add more, but as I write these words, I’ve glanced at the bottom of my post and see my word count is closing in on 5000. I hope that you stayed with me during all this time. We had a lot to say and a lot to share.
We’d love to hear your words of wisdom too. Got a travel tip to share?
No comments:
Post a Comment